Saturday, 21 May 2011

Were at Nice airport, waiting to depart. The Cannes market is over, the festival closes today and the winners get announced tomorrow. Von Trier goes home in shame with a little black moustache and a greasy side parting, while we go home fatigued but happy! Saw some interesting movies, had some productive meetings and drunk a lot of free booze! Just wanted to mention the Friday highlights. We caught an unexpectedly sublime movie called THE ARTIST, directed by Michel Hazanavicius and starring Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, James Cromwell and Missi Pyle (With a cameo from Malcolm McDowell). It's essentially a silent movie about a silent movie star, George Valentine who's life falls apart as he fails to embrace the rise of the talkies. This is one of the best films I've seen in ages. It's perfection in everyway. It's not horror or scifi but it's something really special. We'll try hard to secure it for Grimm 2011 but if we don't you MUST seek this film out. Speaking of Malcolm McDowell, we then caught a lecture from the man himself all about his career and his work with Kubrick (A CLOCKWORK ORANGE), Lindsey Anderson (IF, OH, LUCKY MAN) and Paul Schrader (CAT PEOPLE). Funny and informative, McDowell seemed very down to earth and revealed some fascinating insights into some of cinema's geniuses. After a few drinks courtesy of the Bordeaux region of France we then caught our final film, Takashi Miike's HARA - KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI. If you are familiar with his work, you'll know that Miike is damn prolific and not afraid to go places other film makers fear to tread, with films like THE AUDITION and ICHI THE KILLER. His latest is actually in competition at Cannes (A surprise that such a maverick has made it to the Cannes pantheon of auteurs!) Strangely, the film is somewhat of a restrained affair. It's rather slow and melodramatic and so very different from much of his previous frenetic work. The film was presented in 3D and looked great but it's a slow burner. Don't expect too much blood and guts but it does hold a particularly nasty suicide scene.

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GRIMM UP NORTH is Manchester's home of Horror, Sci-fi and Fantasy. We run monthly screenings, events and the annual film festival in October.
Grimm Up North! is Manchester's Premiere Horror and Sci Fi Festival.
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Nightmarish narratives, retina-searing images and heart stopping shocks galore. Blood-soaked red carpet premieres, ghoulish guest appearances and much more! www.grimmfest.com